There is a direct correlation between the rise of modern civilization and the increase in sanitary awareness and practices among individuals. Modern medicinal techniques and pharmaceuticals have eradicated many diseases which have ravaged human societies for many millennia. Antibiotics, aspirin, current generation drugs, scanning equipment, blood analysis techniques and modern operating procedures have greatly reduced mortality rates and increased life expectancies.
Although modern medicinal techniques and pharmaceuticals have made tremendous strides toward eliminating countless diseases, humans continue to face many health threats. These health threats range from the rare to the commonplace; and from the deadly to the simply inconvenient. It is becoming increasingly difficult to battle these threatening diseases largely because many of them are caused by cross-species migrations of common diseases or new mutant strains of old diseases. Even ubiquitous threats such as common colds are becoming stronger and more resistant to treatment.
Although many diseases are transmitted via the air, via the co-mingling of blood sources, or via sexual intercourse, most diseases are transmitted by simple physical contact, either directly or through an intermediary. For example, a disease infected individual, by merely touching an object, may thereby infect that object. As subsequent individuals come into contact with the infected object, they too will become infected, and so on. This chain of infection continues as long as there are infected individuals coming into contact with inanimate objects, other people, plants or animals. In fact, given today's society, a single infected person can infect hundreds or even thousands of objects or other people in a relatively small amount of time.
One of the drawbacks of such a mass spread of a disease includes the increased probability that the disease will mutate into different strains as it spreads and migrates away from its original source. Thus, although an individual may typically gain immunity as a result of experiencing and effectively overcoming a disease, if the individual is exposed to a new or different strain of the original disease, that individual will once again become infected. It is often very difficult to break an infection, recovery, mutation, re-infection chain. Such chains of infection take a heavy toll upon both individuals and society in terms of physical, mental and economic devastation.
Many manufacturers have preyed upon society's fears of diseases by heightening awareness of the many causes of infectious diseases. It has becomes commonplace to observe commercials and advertisements which pitch products that disinfect individuals or objects. An extremely popular example of such a product includes anti-bacterial soaps. These soaps, commonly in liquid form and dispensed from a plastic container via a hand-pump, are advertised to kill almost all common forms of bacteria. Although somewhat effective, these products have a drawback in that access to a source of running water is also necessary.
More recently, sanitizing hand washes have been introduced which, although are dispersed in liquid form, do not require access to running water. These sanitizing liquids are spread by a user across an area to be disinfected, such as the user's hands. Since these sanitizing liquids are alcohol-based, they quickly evaporate after they are applied. It does not require removal by other means, such as by running water.
Although many clever schemes have been devised to sanitize body portions of individuals, namely their hands, such schemes are either inconvenient, or are socially unacceptable to implement in an expedient manner. For example, if a first individual were exposed to another individual during a handshake and that other individual is suspected of being disease infected, it would be extremely inconvenient and socially unacceptable for the first individual to dash out of the room to disinfect his hands immediately after the handshake.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a socially responsible, discreet yet expedient and effective method for disinfecting portions of a user.